This invention relates to window assemblies and, more particularly, to a window assembly including a frame, a window, and a gasket or casing for holding the frame and window together. The window assembly is especially useful in vehicles and is installed from the exterior of the vehicle as a complete unit.
The installation of windows, especially in vehicles, has taken many forms. A common example is the positioning of a window pane or sheet of glass against a bead of sealant applied around the periphery of an aperture in a window frame and thereafter framing in or securing the rear side of the glass to the frame. This is typically done in building structures or in window units for such structures. In window assemblies for vehicles, however, and especially those windows which are not designed to be raised and lowered but rather are permanently positioned such as in the rear quarter panel of an automobile, installation of such permanent windows has often been time consuming, complicated and thus quite expensive.
In one method, a bead of sealant was applied to the periphery of the window frame from the interior of the auto with a sheet of glass pressed against that sealant, a back-up frame applied around the rear of the glass and sealant and a plurality of clips or other securing fasteners applied to hold the back-up frame in position. Either before or after all of the above, a finished metallic or other frame had to be applied from the exterior of the car to hide the raw, unfinished edges around the window aperture. Such piecemeal assembly steps have also been used in other permanently mounted vehicle windows such as the windshield or rear window except that the installation occurs from the exterior in the above-mentioned piecemeal fashion.
Another method for attaching permanent windows in automobiles and other vehicles was the prior securement of a window pane or sheet of glass to a metallic frame by means of a rubber or other similar collar which extends over both sides of the edge of the window aperture in the metal frame and also extends around the periphery of the glass to hold the frame and glass together. This frame and glass was then applied from the interior of the automobile to an aperture in the vehicular body while being secured and sealed in place. Again, however, a finishing bezel or frame had to be applied from the exterior of the body to conceal from the exterior the material holding the interior frame and window together. This method could thus not be used to secure a window directly from a vehicle exterior because the extension of the rubber or other collar over both sides of the window frame left an unsightly external ridge necessitating cover up with additional material.
None of the above methods, therefore, provided a simple, easily installed, completely finished window assembly which could be located virtually entirely from the exterior of the vehicle in order to save time and expense.
Another problem in the installation of windows especially in modern vehicles is the difference in curvature between the window itself and the frame to which it is to be secured. Since the glass in many current automobiles is typically curved or bent and tempered, and such bending is usually less precise than the stamping or bending of the frame to which it is to be secured to attached, differences in curvatures often exist. Any attachment of a window to a frame to provide a window assembly ready for installation would have to overcome and accommodate the problem of such differing curvatures as well as the stress resulting from the window tending to return to its own shape or curvature should the window be secured in the shape or curvature of the frame.